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Posted on: 2010/10/19

PR: Finally this interview is happening Samuel! It’s great timing actually because you just started a new job! You are the new European scout for NEXT NY!

SAMUEL DOBROWOLSKI:Dear PR! Well I didn’t start yet. 1st of November will be the first day at Next.. I’m a bit sad to leave Ulla after 8 years, but of course I’m SUPER EXCITED to start my new job, a whole new life actually.

PR: Can you describe a bit what your job will be consisting of?

SAMUEL DOBROWOLSKI:I will be 1 of the European Scouts for the whole Next Network, and of course development. So I will focus on the markets like Holland, Belgium, Germany and the countries around it like Scandinavia, but also Eastern Europe.

PR: Does that mean that you will do scouting for both women's and men's divisions?SAMUEL DOBROWOLSKI:I'll be focused on scouting women, but if I find an amazing guy I will always think of my amazing colleague's Sarah Vickery (London)and Elayne Bohary (New York)

PR: You got your experience working at Ulla Models, one of the best agencies in the Netherlands! SAMUEL DOBROWOLSKI:I started working for Ulla in 2002 at the art department. I was responsible for the website, books, mailings and the comp cards. I did this for a while. But after a short period I moved to the bookings table.

Over the years I worked with many great people at Ulla like Katrien Franken (now a great photographer) Anneriet van Schaik (Bloom Management) Manja Otten (now represents stylists and photographers) Reva Beek (Future Faces)

SAMUEL DOBROWOLSKI: At the end of 2006 Michael de Bree joined Ulla, he had worked before at Paparazzi and Skin, so he had a lot of experience.

Michael and I immediately clicked in our line of work, and created a vision that we both wanted to pursue.And when Claudio Minnai took over the agency we got carte blanche from him to do what we thought was necessary to recreate Ulla and build it up again to the name it once was.

What Michael and I wanted was hard, but we had a goal, so we started with cleaning out the board and scouting new faces… And within 2.5 years we made Ulla what it is today. I’m pretty proud of what we did, but couldn't have done it without Michael! I owe him my career to what it is today.

PR: You are the most proud of your work in Ulla?

SAMUEL DOBROWOLSKI:What Michael and I created at Ulla and my new job at Next, all the girls that we scouted, developed, launched and managed.

But there are also bookings that I can get a kick off, like all the bookings over €20k (which doesn’t happen a lot in a small market like Amsterdam) And I booked my first Vogue last season.

PR: Oh, your first Vogue! With who?

SAMUEL DOBROWOLSKI:It was Vogue L'Uomo, with Dorith Mous, can't say which photographer, because it wasn't published :( We did get the pics and they are Amazing!!!

PR: We're very interested in knowing how you found Dorith. She seems to have a great personality!

SAMUEL DOBROWOLSKI:Dorith has been modeling for a while now, Michael used to be her booker at Paparazzi, and when Michael came to Ulla she followed him. First time she came in Ulla we clicked right away, the rest is history :)

Because of the relationship we have - I learned a lot from her. She really made me see everything from the models point of view.This played a big part in becoming the agent I am today. She has and will always have a very special place in my life. She is my Muse.

PR: Is it quite easy to work in an agency in Netherlands? Because the girls are breathtaking! Seriously!

SAMUEL DOBROWOLSKI:Amsterdam is an easy-going market. There is a lot of talent here, not only the girls, but we also have amazing stylists and photographers. The market is small, so it’s easy to know everybody. I’m friends with most of my clients so that makes it even easier.

PR: Yes, Holland is full of great creative force. Can you mention some of your favorite creative people?

SAMUEL DOBROWOLSKI:My favorite designers are OntFront! (Tomas Overtoom and Liza Koifman) And not just because they are one of my best friends, but they are designing amazing menswear which you don't see a lot. It's a perfect mix between casual and chic.

And there is a new generation standing up in Amsterdam - who are amazing! Like Jolijn Snijders and Jordy Huinders from I Love Fake magazine! I Love them!!!

SAMUEL DOBROWOLSKI: But also Sonny Groo and Jean Paul Paula from Mikro Mag, are truly guys with a great vision. You can tell they really love what they do!

Photographers like Yorick Nube, Richard Bakker, Pim van Offeren are amazing to work with. And other great photographers are Anouk Morgan and Jonathan Waiter, but they moved to NY so I hope to continue working with them overseas.

PR: Samuel this question is a bit off topic but don’t you agree that maybe Eve Salvail should have opened the JPG show with Betty Ditto closing it? It would be a real 90’s moment! Do you remember Eve?

SAMUEL DOBROWOLSKI: Of course I know Eve, but I don’t remember, when she started in 1989 I was only 6 years old, so I wasn’t really busy with fashion around that time.
I love that Betty Dito opened and closed the show, and if Eve had been somewhere in the middle of the line up I would have loved that too! Just as an extra element of surprise.

PR: Your mom was a model. A very gorgeous one! Tell us something about her.

SAMUEL DOBROWOLSKI:My mom was a “Miss” of a small part of Holland, after that she moved to New Zealand, and there she was "discovered" and modeled for 2 years. She really enjoyed doing it, but she never took it serious.

PR: She was a Miss?!? Oh, I used to follow that religiously as a kid in the 90’s. What would you answer: what would you do if you were MR. (obviously) world? Would you try to bring world peace?

SAMUEL DOBROWOLSKI:Hahahahaha! I would never want to be a Miss/Mr. LOL. But if I would be one I would play that game like Mr Terminator! Become governor or maybe the president of the USA! Hahahahaha!!!

PR: You know what we noticed? That Dobrowolski isn’t a Dutch last name. And since we are obsessed with roots… tell us something about yours…?

SAMUEL DOBROWOLSKI:My roots are complicated. My mom was born in Papua New Guinea, but is 100% Dutch. My grandfather was a tropic doctor, so he worked there when my mom was born. They moved to Holland when my mother was 4 years old. (Now she lives on the Canary Islands/Spain)

My grandfather on my father’s side was born in Chelm and is a holocaust survivor, his mother was from Portugal. His father was from Russia. He was from the area that is now known as Ukraine/Poland. My grandfather was born with Goldberg as a last name.

During World War 2 my grandfather got caught by the Germans but luckily managed to escape. After his escape he stole a passport from a body on the street and that passport said "Dobrowolski". Since that day my family name is Dobrowolski. As you can see on my pictures I honored his original name by tattooing it on my chest. My grandfather ended up in Rotterdam, where he started a new family after the war. And this is when my father was born.

PR: Your grandfather should sell his story to Hollywood. I think your tattoo is a great way to pay tribute to your roots.

SAMUEL DOBROWOLSKI:I think so too. I thought about changing my name back to Goldberg for a while, but in the end that didn’t feel right, and this did…. I knew already for years I wanted this asa tattoo, and last year I found out I wanted it on my chest where it is now.

PR: How do you feel about New York? SAMUEL DOBROWOLSKI:NY already feels like my second hometown.First time I was there I was 6 years old, and in the last few years I’m there at least twice a year. So I will make it my first hometown now and will keep Amsterdam as my second one.

PR: Well, we just hope that you will be very successful and that you will stay this great guy that you are! You do know we love you, right?

SAMUEL DOBROWOLSKI:Thank you so much!I will always stay close and true to myself, and you know I love you too! Right?